Question!

MsAmeera25

Hey Ladies!

I'm doing some research.....How many of you guys hired a planner or DOC? If you have one would you mind telling me how much you paid and what services you recieved? Also did it include the total event design.

Thanks ladies

spalko

I didn't have one, they aren't common in my area, but part of me wishes I did! It would have made things a whole lot less stressful for me on the day of our wedding.

careydes

We only used the one at our venue.  We had the ceremony and reception all in one place, and so she coordinated all of our vendors and deliveries, and decorations... It really took a lot of stress off of me. 

I don't think I would have gotten one if she wasn't included,..  and I'm pretty sure I would have regretted it.

AurorasEnvy

I hired one.  She was about $400....probably some of the best money I spent on the wedding.  I had someone at the venue as well, but I also needed someone at the chapel and then the coordinator at the venue wasn't going to be actually present for the wedding.  It was SO nice to not have to worry about anything.  She even came down several weeks before the wedding to meet/see the venues, she took care of vendor issues I was having before the day of the wedding, and did a wonderful job on the day of.

I read a lot of wedding recap posts of brides who had DOCs and say it was the best money they spent, and then a lot of brides saying that they wished they had one - that's what really prompted me to get one, and I am so glad I did.

Her package included unlimited e-mail/phone correspondence before the wedding, a meeting in person before the wedding, vendor contact before the wedding, and unlimited services the day of (pretty much stayed til everything was done & put away!).  She didn't do any of the planning or event design.

HTH!

kimberlykh

Hi, I had a DOC that we paid 1250 for, it would have been 1600, but we got a discount because my friend recommended her. This included unlimited calls and emails leading up to the event and coverage for both my ceremony and reception. She also contacted all the vendors beforehand and we ha two face to face meetings. She didn't help with any designing or pick any vendors. My venue came with one, but only for the reception and I wanted to make sure I was covered.

arisia

We didn't have one but looking back I wish we would have. Some family members pitched in and ran the show and they looked exhausted.

bpphoto785

We only had the one who came with our venue. She was AMAZING! But I still wish we had hired someone just for me. I do events for my work so I knew I wouldn't be able to relax and during our reception I didn't. During this time I also felt like our venue coordinator was busy making sure dinner ran smoothly so I took a lot of initiative making sure things happened with our DJ and photographer. It would have been nice to have someone else do this. However, we decided not to have a DOC since the least expensive one we could find was $1,000 (no event design included) and she didn't have a lot of experience.

leopardgurl831

We didn't have one.  It would have been nice to have someone set up the tables at the reception area.  We ended up having 6 family members do it and they were done with in an hour.  The church had a coordination who told people when to walk down the isle and maybe  a few more little things.  Otherwise our DJ ran the show at our reception.  If it was only a few hundred dollars for set up I would have probably considered it though.

toothpastechica

Didnt have one, didnt need one, but we did have a venue that has close connections with my family so were really good to work with, (my sister works there in the summer and was in the wedding party, so im pretty sure she gave direction now and then both to me and to the staff sine she knows the drill)

vineyard12

Our venue came with a coordinator, so we didn't need to hire one. She was absolutley awesome and followed all my directions for set up and she made sure everything ran smoothly, even though I was 15 mins late, she managed to get us back on track. She took care of everything and made suer we were taken care of. If the hotel (ceremony and reception in one place) didn't have one or we had chosen another venue without a coordinator, we would have hired one. I didn't have to think or wonder if things were getting done. It saved us a lot of hassle, and DH kind of kept track of what was going on since he was right there while set up, etc.

staceyd88

We had one since our venue was very DIY and we had a lot of vendors to deal with on the day of.  She handled everything and I didn't have to worry about a thing during our reception - I can't imagine what it would have been like without her.  The Day of Coordinator services were $750, included emails/communication, 2 meetings before the wedding and her team provided all table set up and decorating final touches (direction provided by us) on the day of and they stayed until the very end of clean up.  So so so worth it!!!

FutureMrsW9

I had one and I paid her $1400 for DOC and a few other miscellaneous items.  I had a VIP package though.  I think he basic DOC package was around $800.  BEST MONEY I SPENT on the wedding, hands down.  It's a thousand times worth it.

classykat22

We had one as part of our venue ammenities.  She was AWESOME!  I think I would have completely stressed throughout the wedding/reception without her.  We were also blessed with about 5 interns who were working at our venue as well so, all in all, we had 7 people handling our event.  It was amazing.

HillShmill

We did and it was the BEST money we spent! Our DOC was $1,000 and included running the rehearsal, coordination with all vendors, an many meetings, phone calls, emails, etc. that I needed, set up/break down of the entire wedding event, and total support throughout the entire planning process. I honestly, truely believe that the only reason why we had so much FUN at our own wedding was because of our wonderful DOC company.

When people ask me for wedding planning advice in the future, my number one piece of advice will be to hire a DOC

mandi921vh

We didn't have one.

Petrajb

We hired one that designed our event as well. It was 2350 and that included set up and tear down. It was absolutely beautiful and money well spent.

caitlinc09

Our planner/DOC was provided by/worked for the venue. We had an "all inclusive" package that included her services, and according to her itemizing the cost her services were $1,500. We could have as many meetings we wanted before the day with her and she did everything. 

cswilliams512

We didn't hire a specific DOC, but both our ceremony and reception venues had their own. So, we essentially had two. The church had a coordinator that we met with once and talked on the phone with many times. She was really great about making sure I had everything at the ceremony necessary, from the marriage license to a needle and thread in several colors. She also ran the rehearsal and was there for the ceremony to tell people when to walk and such. And we had our reception at a restaurant, so they had a private events coordinator who was awesome. We met with her twice and I emailed or called her probably a thousand times. She set up our tables before the reception once we gave her all our supplies, but she even supplied the table number holders, all the linens, and the cake cutting pieces. She also helped coordinate the A/V equipment we would need for our emcee and slideshow, which was wonderful. We ended up tipping her extra since she was just included in our payment for the event but she was so phenomenal. I was super lucky that both our places included these women because I don't know what I would have done without them!

COSmitty

I didn't have one and really didn't need one. My amazing florist set up the tables for me (I tipped her for going above and beyond helping), my family/friends grabbed the flowers from the church to the reception. family/friends grabbed what needed to be cleaned up.

All in all I did the design, created everything, the vendors were easy enough to deal with.

I don't think you NEED one but I can see where the setup would be helpful-unless you have another vendor you can have do that. 

MsAmeera25

Thanks ladies all the posts were super helpful!